Flimflam: College in 2020
Higher education institutions are engaging in a very American tradition regarding reopening in the fall, with students and parents as the easy marks, Ryan Craig argues.
By Ryan Craig
July 10, 2020
So many things have gone missing this summer: Fourth of July parades, fireworks, summer camps and, as we approach the dog days, state fairs. Last summer I took my kids to the Oregon State Fair, where they sampled deep-fried bacon on a stick and failed to appreciate just how bizarre it is that people make sculptures out of dairy products.
Harvard Says Incoming Freshman Stopped at Belarus Airport
UPDATED: July 9, 2020, 12:19 p.m.
Authorities halted a Harvard-bound freshman at the airport in Minsk, Belarus, lawyer and Harvard Corporation Fellow William F. “Bill” Lee ’72 said in a court hearing Thursday. On Monday, the federal government released an order barring international students enrolled in universities offering online-only courses from staying in or entering the United States. Harvard had announced just hours before that all its courses will be virtual, a decision that renders its international students subject to deportation.
First-years, juniors, and others meeting ‘stringent criteria’ can return in the fall, U. says
The University will welcome first-years and juniors to campus for the fall semester and sophomores and seniors for the spring semester, the University announced on Monday. The announcement notes that a very small number of other undergraduate students will be permitted — specifically “seniors whose departments determine that they meet specific, stringent criteria necessitating them to be on campus to conduct thesis research and whose plans have been approved by the relevant principal investigator and the Dean for Research.”
Dean Dolan and VP Calhoun discuss new upperclass room draw, ICE guidelines, and potential gap year ‘lottery’ at open Q&A
The University may employ a “lottery system” to determine when students who elect to take gap years may re-enroll, Dean of the College Jill Dolan told over 750 attendees of a Zoom Q&A last night. At 6 p.m. on Tuesday, July 7, the Undergraduate Student Government (USG) hosted a 90-minute Q&A with Dolan and Vice President for Campus Life Rochelle Calhoun, the second event of this nature, to allow students to ask questions about the University’s recently-released fall reopening plan.
Princeton must fight for its international students
On July 6, the same day the University announced its plans for the upcoming academic year, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) released updated policies that severely limit the possibilities for international students to remain in and return to the United States during the upcoming academic year. During the onset of the COVID-19 crisis, exceptions had been made to allow students to remain in the United States while still taking a fully online course load, something that would not be permitted under normal circumstances. However, these concessions have now been struck down and replaced with the following guideline: if your school is only going to offer online teaching, you are not allowed to remain in the United States.
Shocked and Frustrated by Recent ICE Order, Campus Organizations Rally in Support of International Students
From threat of deportation to travel restrictions, international students at Cornell and across the country face immense uncertainty after U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced Monday that international students cannot remain in the U.S. if taking a fully online course load. ICE declared in a news release Monday international students with F-1 and M-1 visas who attend schools that will be entirely online for the upcoming semester face the threat of deportation. The announcement leaves some questions unanswered, as the guidelines on exemptions to the rules and how schools should update their information to ICE’s Student and Exchange Visitor Information System, remain slightly vague.
Should You Consider A Virtual Gap Year?
Since the coronavirus pandemic shut down campuses this spring and radically altered plans for the fall semester, there has been a surge of interest among college students in taking time away from school. Web traffic at the Gap Year Association (GYA), a nonprofit group that promotes gap year programs, has gone up as much as 300%, and U.S. gap year organizations have reported an increase in inquiries, according to GYA Executive Director Ethan Knight. Although program registration is on par with last year, he predicts that greater interest will lead to a jump in enrollment in the next two months.
Ivy League Prohibits Varsity Athletic Competition For Fall Semester
After months of speculation regarding the status of fall athletics due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Cornell athletes finally have their answer — athletic competition will not take place during the fall semester. The news was first reported by Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports, and the Ivy League later confirmed that there would be no fall competition in a press release.
Cornell is Coming Back to Campus This Fall. Are Other Ivies Doing the Same?
This fall, Cornell plans on welcoming all of its students back to campus — something that most of its Ivy League counterparts are not doing. President Martha E. Pollack announced June 30 that the University will be following a hybrid learning model for fall instruction. All students will be permitted back on campus, given that they comply with Cornell’s behavioral compact. COVID-19 testing will happen early and frequently. Study abroad has been canceled. And although the semester will feel very different than usual, tuition will rise at the same pace as it typically does.
Cornell and the University of Pennsylvania are permitting all students to return to their campuses. While the other six plan on having students on campus, their varying plans will not include all students.
New ICE rule will ‘devastate’ USC, global students, and hurt economy, experts say
Issy Rushton had always dreamed of becoming an American college student. Ever since she was 15 and traveled to the states from her native country of Australia for a study abroad trip, she was hooked. She began classes at the University of South Carolina in 2017 and prospered, becoming the first international student body president in the school’s history. Now a rising senior, she’s just a week away from taking the LSAT to set her up for law school.